HELPING NEW PLAYERS
TEACHING THE BASICS
Those who are not familiar with text games will need a lot of help. Once you have welcomed her, got her to talk, and figured out she hasn't played a MUD before, you should go and find her so you can talk face-to-face. You can then explain how she can talk just to you, using 'SAY' (or a single- or double-quote) rather than sending her messages to the comm.
You will need to explain how to read the room descriptions and look for mention of exits. Explain how to type the initial letters of the compass directions to move - for example, in the Meeting Point it says you can go east, so type E.
Explain that she needs to buy a spaceship, and to do that she needs a permit, which can be obtained from the Galactic Administration HQ building.
At this point, it's a good idea to find out what front-end she is using. If she is not using FedTerm then encourage her to give it a try - explain about the auto-mapping features, and that it comes with the route to the GA HQ already filled in.
You'll need to move slowly enough that she can read the descriptions on the way. Stop and point out anything interesting you pass, such as the entrance to the tour of the Solar System, the Armstrong Cuthbert office, and so on. When you get to the elevator, tell her to 'PRESS BUTTON' - it's not immediately obvious.
Once she's got her permit, walk her back to Jarrow. On the way you could do a few 'ACT' commands and explain how they work, how she can use them to smile and laugh, or do really complex actions. Stop in a bar and buy her a drink. Show her your clothes and mood. If she's interested, teach her how to buy clothes of her own. Make sure she realizes that Fed is a social game and how much fun she can have if she joins in.
Once she has a ship, show her where it is and explain how to fly it. Then make sure she understands that you can't come with her in the ship, so she will have to ask any further questions using the comms.
The next stage is to teach her how to do jobs. At this point, you can tell her that the help system in the game explains how jobs work - she should type 'HELP JOBS' - and also point her to the manual on the web site, and recommend that she reads through it. Also tell her about the map of the Solar System which shows the position of the planets, and the starter maps which show the routes to Armstrong Cuthbert offices on each planet, at http://www.ibgames.net/fed2/maps/index.html.
The in game help information should be enough to let her figure out how to do jobs, but she will probably have questions about things she doesn't understand. Do answer them - although we want players to use the manual and help system to figure things out on their own, refusing to answer questions when a player is brand new is just going to annoy her, so she won't want to come back.
As a general rule, if the information the new player asks for is in the manuals or on one of the Help pages, then it's OK to give her the answer. You could also give her the URL of the specific page in the Idiot's Guide where she can look something up. If it's part of the body of knowledge you have gained by your experience in the game, then you can pass that on too. But no puzzle secrets!
Once the player seems to have the hang of doing jobs, and has done a few of them, you need to point out that jobs isn't all there is to Fed2. First, explain that jobs are only for the first couple of ranks, and after that what you do changes each time you promote. If you didn't do it earlier, tell her about the tour of the Solar System, which is on the way to the GA HQ on Earth, and which showcases some of the more exotic locations on the various planets.
You should also tell her that earning groats is not all there is. If she enjoys exploring she should have a go at the Magellan Society treasure hunt - explain that she starts the puzzle by finding the Magellan Society exhibition in Earth's spaceport, and talking to Victor. Then explain how to talk to mobiles, since this isn't something that is immediately obvious.
Tell her about all the fun stuff on the web site - the weekly News, lots of archive material, the Encyclopedia Galactica, the game manuals, maps and so on. Encourage her to look at the maps and read the manuals. Explain that she doesn't have to leave the game to do all this, and that she could leave the Sol map up in a separate window to look at when she needs to. Also explain to her that there is a simple help system in the game to aid new players.
Your aim is to do two things. You need to help her to get started in the game, so she promotes to Commander and starts doing jobs. But more importantly, you have to make sure she enjoys herself enough that she will come back the next day, and the day after that, becoming a regular player.
